The Common Cold
by Hone
Summary: Starfire has caught a case of the common cold, but her Tamaranean genes have mutated the minor illness into a life-threatening condition. Will the Titans find a cure before it's too late?
1. Sniffles, Headaches, and Coughs

Chapter 1: Sniffle, Headaches, and Coughs

"Ah... ah... AHCHOO!"

After a sudden flash of starbolts, everyone uncovered their eyes, staring at the huge crack in the middle of the Teen Titan's most prized possession: their huge TV screen.

"Aww man, not again! I just fixed that," grumbled Cyborg, glaring at Starfire, who was holding a tissue in her left hand, the box in her right. Cyborg, one hand changing into a dustpan while the other transforming into a small broom, knelt and started sweeping up the jagged shards.

"My apologies, friend. I seem to have caught 'the cold'," she replied, wiping green alien snot onto the tissue.

"You've been sick since this Monday, right? Maybe you should take the rest of the week off to rest," said Robin, looking concerned.

"Thank you for the offer, but I will be more than fine," sniffled Starfire, throwing out a handful of used tissues. "I am only a little bit sick. And besides, Control Freak still remains uncaught. I am sure that I will be feeling much better by to- AHCHOO!"

Another flash of starbolts whizzed by and furthered the crack in the TV. Starfire smiled sheepishly, mouthing the word "oops."

Raven looked at the TV, then at Starfire. "Robin's right. You can't fight if you keep sneezing starbolts everywhere." Her eyes were serious, as always. Using her powers, she began to help Cyborg with picking up the shattered TV bits.

"Raven's got a point," piped in Beast Boy, eating a bowl of tofu. "If you go out there, you'll destroy half the city!" Although his tone was half-joking, the other half sounded genuinely worried.

"I second that. You, little lady, need some rest and a big ol' cup of Cyborg's hot chocolate." With a smile and a wink, Cyborg turned away from the TV and headed to the kitchen area. "I'll whip us up a big batch right now."

"Uh, you're making that with soy milk, right?" Beast Boy asked, following Cyborg into the kitchen.

"Uh, no. You know nobody likes that tasteless water you drink, BB," smirked Cyborg, with Beast Boy right on his tail.

"I better make sure they don't blow up the kitchen." With that, Raven glided over to watch Cyborg, tangled in a mess of tentacles, trying to retrieve the milk carton from the green octopus changeling.

While the hot chocolate was more or less being made, Starfire sat quietly on the circular couch, her nearly empty tissue box right by her side. Robin, feeling a bit shy but mostly worried, edged closer to her.

"Hey, Star, so, this Friday, I guess you're not going to be able to come to the picnic with the Titans East, huh?"

"No, I think I will be feeling fine by Friday. I am already feeling better, see?" Starfire tried her best to look her usual chipper self, but was interrupted by a series of dry coughs that forced her to double over.

"You okay?" asked Robin, now feeling only worry.

"Yes, I am fine, thank you. *cough* I have had 'the ache of the head' since this morning, *cough* but I believe this is the first time *cough* that I have had 'the coughs'," Starfire said in between more painful sounding heaves.

"Hot chocolate's ready!" called out Cyborg. "And it's not the stinkin' tofu kind, either."

"Soy, it's not SOY," corrected Beast Boy, obviously miffed that it wasn't soy.

Robin and Starfire got up, one walking, one floating, and made their way into the kitchen area. Raven was hovering over the counter, legs criss-crossed as she sipped tentatively from the steaming hot cup. Beast Boy stood in front of the stove, preparing his own hot chocolate (with soy milk, obviously). Cyborg held two mugs in his hands, giving one to Robin and one to Starfire. "Soup's on!"

Robin grabbed the cup, blowing on the hot, bubbly surface to cool it down. "Careful, Star," he warned. "The cup is hot."

Starfire nodded and carefully grabbed the mug. Mimicking Robin, she blew on the brown liquid's surface and took a tiny slurp. "Mmm, this is most delicious," she remarked. But something didn't feel right, Starfire noticed as the hot chocolate slid down her throat. For some reason, she was feeling really weak...

No longer floating, Starfire stood momentarily in the middle of the kitchen, her eyes closed. Suddenly, the mug fell from her hands, shattering into a million pieces with hot chocolate spilling all over the floor and splashing the counters. Starfire went down with the mug, her lifeless form heading face-first towards the hard tiles. Robin, with his speedy reflexes and his trademarked "Starfire!", instinctively caught the limp Tamaranean princess in his arms, spilling yet another cup of Cyborg's hot chocolate. But that would soon be the least of their worries.


	2. Fevers

When she came to, Starfire was lying in her king-sized bed with Silkie curled up next to her on the pillow. Raven was sitting in a chair at her bedside, a look of concern showing on her usually stoic face.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, reaching for the damp cloth across Starfire's forehead.

"I feel... Hot." Starfire said hesitantly. Indeed, she did feel hot. In fact, she felt like she was burning up.

"Well, you do have a fever. Wait here, I'll go get the others."

As Raven hovered out of the room, Starfire watched her go with bleary eyes. For some reason, it hurt to keep her eyes open, especially with so much light pouring in from her huge window. She tried to sit up, but stopped when she became painfully aware of the throbbing in her head and a growing sensation of dizziness. The blankets were too hot, so she kicked them off, her legs feeling oddly heavy and difficult to move.

In a few moments, Raven returned with the whole team right on her heels. Everyone wore a look of deep concern.

"How are you feelin', little lady?" asked Cyborg, gently. Beast Boy transformed into his cute kitten form, reserved only for Starfire. He curled up with her next to Silkie.

"I feel... Odd. I feel as if I am having 'the flashes of hot' and my body has gotten... Heavier," Starfire said, struggling to find the right words as she absently petted the green kitten changeling.

"She has a fever," stated Raven. "I've been using this damp cloth to try to help cool her down, but I guess it's not working."

Starfire stared quietly at her four friends, slightly scared by the anxious looks on their faces. Never before had she gotten sick like this, not on Earth or on Tamaran. Occasionally she would sneeze because Silkie would be molting, but never had she felt this miserable. But right now, it was the way her friends were staring at her that made her feel the worst.

"Friends, I am sure I will be okay by tomorrow," Starfire reassured, although she was quite certain that she would not be okay. If she could hardly even keep her eyes open without pain, how could she be better by tomorrow? "I am already feeling better," she lied, trying hastily to sit up. "See, I am fine..." Almost immediately, she felt a swimming sensation overcome her and the throb in her head intensified into a sharp pounding.

Raven, seeing Starfire's unsteadiness, used her powers to raise the pillows to Starfire's head. Gently, she let the Tamaranean princess lean back.

"You are definitely not fine," said Beast Boy, back in his human-ish form.

"BB's right. You gotta rest up." Cyborg put a hand on Starfire's shoulder. "And don't worry about Control Freak. We'll take care of him." He smiled, and she smiled wanly back. "I'll go cook you some soup. Be back soon." With that Cyborg left the room.

"I'll go help! I can make you some miso soup! Tofu's a great source of calcium!" Beast Boy ran out the door. The sound of Cyborg and Beast Boy bickering about the health benefits of tofu could be heard as they made their way down the hall.

"I better go after them. You need anything, let Robin know." Raven nodded towards Robin, who hadn't said a word since entering Starfire's room.

For a while, the two of them sat quietly, Robin in Raven's seat, Starfire lying next to the curled up Silkie. Finally, Robin broke the silence.

"Hey, Star..." He didn't know where to begin. It pained him so much to see the friendly, happy-go-lucky Starfire so weak. And when she fainted... The fear rose up in his throat just at the thought. Starfire, the Tamaranean princess who could be thrown through walls, whacked with pillars by her evil sister, and eat more than Cyborg and then some... How could anybody so strong, so durable, faint from the common cold? Or was it the common cold, or something worse?

"Yes, Robin?" Starfire looked at him curiously, her head pounding too much to even fake a smile.

"Uh, well..." He faltered, not trusting himself to speak. Dreadful thoughts went rushing through his mind: What if she gets worse? What if she's really ill? What if she... dies? "Never mind. You should get some sleep." He turned to go, the thoughts unstopping, chilling him with cold fear. That is, until he felt a weak tug on his cape.

"Please Robin, don't leave me." Starfire was near tears. She felt so awful, so weak, so helpless. She knew it was selfish, but she was scared to be on her own. Something about being sick made her feel vulnerable.

Robin saw the fear in her eyes and nodded, returning to his seat. "Alright, I'll stay. But only if you go to sleep. I know you're anxious to get better, but the best way to get better is by resting. Okay?" He took her hand, holding it delicately with his gloved fingers.

"You will be here when I wake up?" Starfire's eyes shone as she asked in a small, almost childish voice.

"Yes," Robin reassured her, giving her hand a gentle pat.

"Then I will rest," she sighed. "Thank you, Robin." She gave his hand a little squeeze.

"Anytime, Star. You'll feel better in the morning, trust me." He squeezed back reassuringly, but inside he was feeling dread. As much as he wanted to believe that she would be back to her usual Starfire-self by tomorrow, a nagging feeling in his gut told him otherwise.


	3. Deep Sleep?

Robin wasn't there when Starfire woke up, not because he left her side, but because she didn't wake up.

When the soup was ready and Starfire was out cold, the Titans left her to sleep. They placed a bowl of chicken/tofu soup on her night table, in case she woke up hungry in the middle of the night. Robin, not wanting to break his promise, stayed in the chair and dozed on and off throughout the night.

Come daybreak, the bowl of soup was cold, Robin stiff, and Starfire still not awake. At that point, the Titans were a little concerned. She had slept for a good twelve hours. But after checking her temperature (which was normal), they figured she was just finishing fighting off the cold and would wake up any time now.

3:46 PM

Raven, Robin, and Cyborg were all lounging around the kitchen/TV room. Cyborg was cooking up more soup, his face serious as he reached for the salt shaker. Raven was sitting on the couch, stacks of books littering the floor around her. The current book in her hand, a huge leather-bound titled "Ancestral Remedies," was the seventh medical book she had read since noon. She had breezed through six other books in the morning.

Yet the most desperate Titan in the room was Robin. Pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back, he couldn't stop himself from thinking out loud.

"Why hasn't she woken up yet? She's been asleep for over seventeen hours! She should be all better by now! Her fever's gone and everything!" He kept pacing rapidly, walking circles around Raven and the couch. "Maybe she woke up! I got to go check. She said she wanted me to be there when she wakes up." He made for the door, only to be stopped by both Cyborg and Raven.

"Robin, it's not your shift. Beast Boy's with her right now," Raven stated calmly. However, with her disheveled hair and tired eyes from over-reading, she looked anything but calm.

"But-" Robin stuttered.

"No buts. We're all worried about Star, but you need to chill. You barely slept all night. Just let BB take care of her for a while and then you can take your shift," Cyborg said firmly. Although he was half robot, his human half looked just as out of it as Raven. Even his metallic side had lost a bit of its shine.

"I guess you're right..." Robin sighed, but was cut off from a scream down the hallway.

"Guys, guys, get over here NOW!" Beast Boy hollered from down the hallway, then dashed off in the direction of Starfire's room. The Titans followed close on his heels.

"I don't know what happened," Beast Boy squeaked, panic in his voice, his eyes wild. "She was doing fine and then all of a sudden she... stopped." He motioned to the monitor Cyborg had set up last night.

Starfire's heart had stopped, the monitor making a long beeping noise.

It took a moment for all of this to sink in. What the hell was happening? Robin stared at the monitor, feeling as if his own heart had quit beating. Starfire was dead? No, that couldn't be. That just couldn't be. That just couldn't be.

"Out of the way!" Robin yelled, pushing himself past his friends and lunging to Starfire's side. He frantically began doing chest compressions, his eyes switching from Starfire's still-face to the unmoving line on the monitor. "How long has she been like this?"

No one answered; everyone was too shocked to speak.

"How long has she been like this?!" He almost screamed it this time, and the sound of Robin screaming seemed to spark a nerve with the other Titans. They rushed to his side.

"Uh, I think she's been like this for a minute by now... I left the room right after it happened. Although, I was kind of in shock so I might have waited a few seconds before I started sprinting," Beast Boy lowered his head, fear in his eyes. "Was it my fault? Is she gonna die? Is Star gonna die?" Tears started down the changeling's cheeks, his hands shaking as he stared at Robin's desperate chest pumps.

"Robin," Raven shook his shoulder. "I'm going to get Beast Boy out of here. He's freaking out. You two take care of Starfire. I'll be back soon." She grabbed Beast Boy by the arm and led him out of the room.

"Robin, move over." Gently, Cyborg tried to push Robin's arms away. Robin pushed back, continuing to frantically work over Starfire. "Robin, move." Cyborg tried again, all too conscious of the tears running down from Robin's mask. He didn't budge. "MOVE."

Cyborg threw Robin backwards with one hand. He landed with a crash, jumping to his feet. "What did you do that-?"

But Robin didn't get to finish his sentence. He saw Cyborg, his hands transformed into two defibrillators, as he repeatedly shocked Starfire's chest. Staring at the monitor, a wave of crushing fear blew over Robin as he saw that Starfire's heart was still not beating.

By now, two minutes had gone by.


	4. All Hell

(Hone: Hi everyone! I'm really happy that people are reading this. Thanks so much for the reviews! They're really a great source of motivation. If you couldn't tell already, this is my first fanfiction, so I'm glad that people are enjoying it. I'm working on some other ideas for Teen Titans related fanfics, so look forward to them in the future! Once again, thanks so much for taking the time to read and review! 3)

4:01 PM

The Titans, all except Cyborg, had once again gathered into Starfire's room, everyone's faces somber. They were far from Starfire's bed, although they each kept glancing back at her still face. Beast Boy still had a few stray tears trickling down his cheeks from his crying episode. He wiped them away, not really conscious of what he was doing. Robin sat still on the chair that used to be next to Starfire, his head in his hands. Raven had graciously moved it for him with her powers. Had he moved it himself, he wouldn't have been able to stop himself from crying. That was the last thing the Titans needed, a sobbing leader. Still, every time he looked back across the room, he expected Starfire to just wake up and smile at him. And every time he felt a little painful stab in his heart when he looked and she was just as lifeless as before.

Next to the bed, the monitor beeped every few seconds, Starfire's heartbeat represented by a very small squiggly line. Cyborg had managed to get her heart started again, but no knew if it would keep beating. And if not, how long did they have?

The door slid open, revealing Cyborg followed by the Titans East. "They're here, Robin."

Robin didn't look up. He didn't need to; he could picture their expressions already.

"She's really sick, isn't she?" Bumblebee said softly. Her eyes took in Starfire's pale complexion, her low heartbeat on the monitor.

"How long has she been sick for?" Aqualad asked, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the fallen Tamaranean.

"She's been ill since this Monday. But nothing like this. Yesterday it just got... worse." Raven said, her voice straining to keep steady.

"Hola, senorita Starfire?" Mas y Menos whispered in unison, inching towards her bed.

"Hold it. You guys, can't you read the mood in here? Now's no time to -" Speedy started as he quickly stopped the twins from reaching Starfire's bed, but was interrupted by Robin, who had thrown two of his boomerangs at the twins' heads. It was a narrow miss.

"Don't touch her." Robin's voice had taken on a dark tone, but he didn't raise his head. His hands were shaking, whether from fury or from grief, no one could tell.

"Hey, watch it," snapped Speedy, glaring at Robin.

"Don't tell me what to do."

"I'm warning you," Speedy advanced menacingly. With a sudden jump, Robin lunged at Speedy, knocking his chair over, and the two were left tussling on the ground.

"Woah, stop it, stop it!" Cyborg tried to force the two apart, but ended up getting pulled into the fighting. Bumblebee barged in with the twins and Aqualad, each trying their best to get Robin off of Speedy.

"Everyone, calm down," Raven said in her toneless voice. "Everyone..." Now Speedy was on top of Robin and repeatedly slamming him in the face. Cyborg had lost his senses after being hit in the arm by a stray arrow and had Speedy in a chokehold. Bumblebee and Mas y Menos were still trying to restrain Robin while Aqualad was threatening to douse Cyborg if he didn't let go of Speedy.

"Everyone... ENOUGH!" Raven shouted, her eyes glowing a livid red. At the same time, Beast Boy, who previously was too stunned to move, transformed into an octopus and grabbed each Titan with a different tentacle. All eyes were on Raven. "This fighting is NOT helping the situation. Starfire is seriously ill and beating each other up is NOT going to make her better." She turned her attention to Robin, his body stiff, eyes averting Raven's harsh glare. "Robin, listen, you can't go losing your temper." Her expression softened. "We all know that you're the closest to Starfire and that you're suffering... But that's no reason to lose yourself like that."

Beast Boy had changed back into his regular form, releasing all of the Titans. Everyone stared at Robin, his mask slightly askew from Speedy's beating, his hair tousled and unkempt from Bumblebee yanking at it. He kept his eyes on the floor as he said in a wavering voice, "I-"

A shrill, gut-wrenching cry cut off Robin's statement. The room froze as silence followed. Everyone turned around to face Starfire on the far side of the room.

Soaking in sweat from head to toe, Starfire let out another blood-curdling scream, her eyes rolling far up into the back of her head. Her muscles were tensed, veins popping out up and down her arms. Writhing like a worm without its head, Starfire twisted and turned on the bed, kicking off the sheets like a madman.

For a split second, no one moved. It was as if time had stopped.

Then all hell broke loose.

Cyborg and Speedy shoved their way past the other Titans. Each standing on opposite sides of the bed, they tried to restrain Starfire's flailing arms and legs. "Woah there, Star. Calm down!" Cyborg's words didn't seem to register as Starfire only struggled harder. With another ear-splitting scream, Starfire flung both Cyborg and Speedy in opposite directions across the room. Cyborg crashed into the monitor, the IV drip ripping out of Starfire's arm, spraying a trail of blood. Speedy was sent flying out the window, a mess of shattered glass and shredded curtains. Bumblebee and the twins rushed towards the moaning Cyborg while Beast Boy transformed into a pterodactyl and grabbed Speedy just before he hit solid ground. Meanwhile, Raven manipulated the bed sheets, using them as rope to tie down Starfire while Aqualad poured water on her in an attempt to wake her up. It looked like Raven's powers were winning, Starfire becoming slightly more subdued. But never underestimate a Tamarean princess's strength. With a burst of energy, Starfire broke the tethers, sending Raven and Aqualad spiraling into the wall.

Amidst all this chaos, Robin remained standing, eyes still burning holes into the floor. He felt so... so STUPID. How could have lost his temper at a time like this? He had always been protective of Starfire, but to take that protection to the point of turning on his fellow Titans was too much. Maybe he wasn't really made to be a leader after all. Maybe he was better off as Batman's sidekick, always living in his shadows. The fact that he didn't know what to do - how to save Starfire, how to get the team recollected - only added to his self-directed anger.

"Robin."

Maybe it was a hallucination because no one else seemed to have heard it, but the sound of Starfire's voice hit a chord somewhere deep within him. He was almost positive that he was going delusional, seeing as Starfire had been reduced to a howling ghost of her former self, but someway, somehow, her voice reached him. And it was enough.

With confident strides, Robin walked over to Starfire's bedside. Starfire had stopped screaming, her throat apparently raw. But it was obvious that she was still in agony. Her gasping whimpers and little cries of pain almost stopped Robin in his tracks. Almost.

He wasn't really sure what to do. How do you ease someone's pain when they're not even conscious? He could say something, sure, but she wouldn't hear it and he had never really been good with words, anyway. Starfire can attest to that. Or she could have, if she wasn't on her deathbed.

Gently, Robin put his hand on Starfire's wet forehead. A combination of sweat and the water from Aqualad soaked through his glove, but Robin didn't care. He honestly didn't know if what he was going to say was for Starfire, or if it was more for himself. He just didn't know.

"Star, everything's going to be okay. I'm here."

For the second time in a matter of minutes, it felt as if the whole world had come to a complete stop. Then, slowly, the tension in Starfire's body was released, a breath of air whooshing out of her mouth, almost like a sigh. Her eyelids closed, her breathing steadied. It was if she was asleep.


End file.
